Magnetic holding device for securing paint brushes to the sides of paint cans and similar objects



3,425,012 MAGNETIC HOLDING DEVICE FOR SECURING PAINT BRUSHES TO THE Jan. 28, 1969 J. G- GOTTINGER SIDES OF PAINT CANS AND SIMILAR OBJECTS Filed March 31, 1967 7 umw United States Patent 3,425,012 MAGNETIC HOLDING DEVICE FOR SECURING PAINT BRUSHES TO THE SIDES OF PAINT CANS AND SIMILAR OBJECTS John G. Gottinger, S. Hickory St., P.O. Box 668, Fond du Lac, Wis. 54935 Filed Mar. 31, 1967, Ser. No. 627,411 US. Cl. 335--285 Int. Cl. H01f 7/02 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to devices which are intended to be attached to paint brushes and which are capable of securing the pain brush at any level on the outside of a paint can.

Prior to this invention some paint brushes were provided with a small hook on one side of the wooden stock of the brush by means of which the brush could be hung on the top edge of the pain can. This means was not satisfactory for several reasons. First, the hook did not prevent the brush from swinging around the edge whenever the paint can was, moved. This caused splattering and quite often resulted in the brush being disengaged from the edge. Further, because the brush was hooked to the top edge of the can, the brush would penetrate the paint too deeply if the can was full and would cause the paint can to tip to one side if the can was fairly empty and if it was hung by its bail, as is often necessary during paintmg.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The invention resides in the provision of a simple yet effective holding device for a paint brush which will be effective to maintain the paint brush in an upstanding position at the side of a paint can or pail. Further, the invention includes means which permit the holding device to be easily attached to most types of commercial paint brushes.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a paint brush provided with the holding device embodying the present invention, with the brush being secured to the outside surface of a paint can which is supported by its bail;

FIG. 2 is a top elevation view of the holding device;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view thereof with portions broken away and shown in cross section;

FIG. 5 is a back elevation View thereof; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the back face of the holding device with a paint brush being shown as a fragment to illustrate the attachment of the holding device to the brush.

Referring to the drawings, the magnetic holding device 10 includes a magnetic base 12 which is preferably comprised of a body of resilient material in which finely divided particles of permanently magnetized material are closely and uniformly distributed and oriented. Material of this type is well known in todays industry. Examples 3,425,012 Patented Jan. 28, 1969 of such material are Koroseal, which is manufactured by the B. F. Goodrich Company, and Plastiform, which is manufactured by the Leyman Corporation. Such magnetic material is available in various north and south magnetic pole arrangements.

The magnetic base 12 is permanently secured within a channel-shaped steel frame member 14 which becomes part of the magnetic circuit. The sides 16 of the frame member extend slightly past the front face of the base 12 and serve to concentrate the magnetic flux established by the base. The front face of the base member is slightly concavely curved to permit it generally to conform to the range of curvatures normally encountered in paint cans.

The web of the frame member is secured to the back face of the magnetic base and is provided with a tongue member 18 which is integral with the frame and which is bent backwardly and downwardly. The tongue member is slightly convexly outwardly curved and has a rounded and preferably moderately sharpened tip.

The holding device may be removably secured to a paint brush by inserting the tongue 18 between the steel band 20 and the stock 22 of a paint brush. The rounded tip of the tongue helps to start the insertion. Because of the curvature of the tongue and because of the inherent resiliency of steel, the tongue creates a force against the band 20 as well as against the stock of the brush. This bias is sufiicient to fastly secure the holding device to the brush under all conditions encountered in painting but is not sufficiently large to hinder manual removal of the device from the brush.

The holding device permits the brush to be attached to any metallic surface. Because the sides 16 extend beyond the curved surface of the base 12, the actual contact between the metal surface or paint can to which the brush is to be secured is provided along two vertical lines. This feature permits the brush to be equally well secured to various diameter cans and even to a flat metal surface.

Another beneficial feature of the holding device is illustrated in FIG. 1 in which the brush is shown to be secured on the lower outside portion of a paint can 24. By securing the paint brush at this location, the paint can, which is suspended by its bail, will not have a tendency to tip to the same extent as would be the case if the brush were to be secured to the top edge of the paint can as has been necessary with prior art brushes which were provided with a hook for that purpose.

Although but a single embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A magnetic holding device which is adapted to be removably fixed between the band and stock of a paint brush and which is operable to secure the brush to the outside surface of paint cans or pails; said holding device comprising:

magnetic means having a frontal face adapted to be placed adjacent the surface to which the paint brush is to be secured; and

frame means provided on the back face of said magnetic means and including tongue member which is bent backwardly and downwardly in respect to said back face to permit said holding device to be attached to a paint brush by inserting said tongue member between the band and stock of the brush; said magnetic means being comprised of a generally rectangular piece of permanently magnetized material and said frame means being comprised of a 3 4 channel-shaped metallic piece with its Web extend- 4. A magnetic holding device according to claim 3 ing across the back face of said rectangular piece wherein said tongue member is integral with the web of and with its sides extending on each side of said said frame member and is convexly outwardly curved. piece past the front face of said rectangular piece to thereby provide line contact between the surface 5 References Clted against which the holding device is to be attached. UNITED STATES PATENTS 2. A magnetic holding device according to claim 1 wherein said tongue member is resilient and slightly fiarkowltzt curved to permit said tongue member, by virtue of its 3189186 6/1965 P f i e 248 206 resiliency and curvature, to exert a holding force on the 10 3195022 7/ 965 an 3 hand and stock of the paint brush to which the holding 1 taver 3 5 device is to be attached. 3. A magnetic holding device according to claim 2 GEORGE HARRIS P'lmary Examine" wherein said front face is slightly inwardly curved to thus US Cl.

permit said holding device to be brought into contact with 15 surfaces of various degrees of convex curvature. 

